Rival rallies take place in front of Constitutional Court to mark one year since Yoon's removal from office
Published: 05 Apr. 2026, 14:19
![People wave signs and flags at exit 6 of Anguk Station near the Constitutional Court of Korea in Jongno District, central Seoul, on April 4 during a rally marking the first anniversary of former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment. [KIM YE-JUNG]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/05/e2b5d1fc-b6b7-4989-9775-e27d13cb9780.jpg)
People wave signs and flags at exit 6 of Anguk Station near the Constitutional Court of Korea in Jongno District, central Seoul, on April 4 during a rally marking the first anniversary of former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment. [KIM YE-JUNG]
A year after former President Yoon Suk Yeol was removed from office, protesters from rival factions flooded the streets outside the Constitutional Court on Saturday, turning central Seoul into a tense political fault line.
Held about 300 meters (984.2 feet) apart, the two groups of protesters were shouting entirely different chants, with one side calling for insurrection forces to be rooted out and the other chanting, “Yoon again.”
Protesters, residents and tourists swarmed the area near exit 6 of Anguk Station in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Saturday.
At 4 p.m., a progressive coalition held a rally marking one year since Yoon’s removal.
“The court is putting the entire insurrection camp on a ‘sentence diet,’” the organizers said, arguing that the court is not giving Yoon the punishment that he deserves. “Let us make crystal clear our resolve to root out the insurrection and push through sweeping social reform.”
Participants responded by waving signs reading, “Let’s wipe out insurrection and treason!”
Those at the anti-Yoon rally chanted along to K-pop songs and shouted, “Finish them off, finish them off, finish off the insurrectionists,” “Sentence them, sentence them, give them the maximum sentence” and “This is the sovereign people’s command.”
The seats prepared by the organizers were packed, with flags from various groups fluttering on both sides. The mood was largely festive, with cups of tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) being handed out.
![The band Danpyunsun and the Moments Ensemble perform on stage at exit 6 of Anguk Station near the Constitutional Court of Korea in Jongno District, central Seoul, on April 4 during a rally marking the first anniversary of former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment. [KIM YE-JUNG]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/05/fd5e2132-d35b-4834-a4f1-ff72431274b2.jpg)
The band Danpyunsun and the Moments Ensemble perform on stage at exit 6 of Anguk Station near the Constitutional Court of Korea in Jongno District, central Seoul, on April 4 during a rally marking the first anniversary of former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment. [KIM YE-JUNG]
Booths set up by civic groups lined the edge of the rally site. Kang Seon-i, who lost a family member in the Itaewon crowd crush disaster, was handing out purple bracelets and ribbons. Around 160 people were killed in the crush that happened in the central Seoul neighborhood in October 2022, when Yoon was serving as president.
“The Itaewon disaster was a tragedy caused by the president, and the truth still has not been fully uncovered,” Kang said, stating she joined the event to urge citizens not to forget the tragedy.
“I think democracy can only be truly realized when we move beyond clearing out the insurrection and toward a world in which minority rights are guaranteed, including through the enactment of an antidiscrimination law,” Ko Da-yeon said, her hair tied with a rainbow ribbon.
At the coalition’s booth, organizers distributed 1,203 copies of a book documenting the period from the declaration of martial law to Yoon’s removal.
Police estimated turnout for the pro-impeachment rally to be about 1,200 people.
![A “Yoon Again” march heads toward exit 5 of Anguk Station near the Constitutional Court in Jongno District, central Seoul, on April 4. [IM SOUNG-BIN]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/05/c2f3a00f-884f-4010-a83c-0efb3c8e2408.jpg)
A “Yoon Again” march heads toward exit 5 of Anguk Station near the Constitutional Court in Jongno District, central Seoul, on April 4. [IM SOUNG-BIN]
Across the street, near exit 5 of Anguk Station, a pro-Yoon rally by the far-right civic group Vellado — organized by far-right YouTuber Ahn Jung-kwon — was underway.
Participants in the “Yoon Again” rally had marched there from Marronnier Park in Daehangno after setting off at 1:30 p.m. A person standing on top of a van led chants of “Yoon again” while those following behind beat drums.
The area around the court was also crowded with springtime tourists visiting the nearby Bukchon Hanok Village and other attractions.
Ben, a tourist from Seattle, explained he had not expected to encounter such demonstrations on the first day of his family trip. “Is it safe here?” he asked before leaving the area with his children.
Holding flags reading “We Are Yoon Suk Yeol,” pro-Yoon demonstrators chanted, “The fraudulent impeachment is null and void,” and “Martial law was justified.” Several wore matching red T-shirts reading “Only Yoon.” At one point, the M.C., wearing judicial robes, staged a performance re-enacting last year’s impeachment ruling in reverse.
“I believe the impeachment went forward without the law being observed, and the truth about election fraud must come out,” said Lee Yong-hyun. He had also been on the streets at the time of the ruling a year earlier. “I came out because people need to be enlightened to this.”
Police estimated turnout for the pro-Yoon rally to be around 500.
![A participant in a “Yoon Again” rally looks toward the stage in front of exit 5 of Anguk Station near the Constitutional Court in Jongno District, central Seoul, on April 4. [IM SOUNG-BIN]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/05/02a4798b-4627-40d4-843a-d9a1e4f23275.jpg)
A participant in a “Yoon Again” rally looks toward the stage in front of exit 5 of Anguk Station near the Constitutional Court in Jongno District, central Seoul, on April 4. [IM SOUNG-BIN]
Still, there was no physical clash between the two sides.
“Customer traffic was about the same as usual, though passing pedestrians probably felt inconvenienced,” said a cafe owner beside Anguk Station. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency deployed about 190 officers on Saturday to manage pedestrian and vehicle traffic.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY IM SOUNG-BIN, KIM YE-JUNG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)